Responsible Innovation in the contexts of the European Union and China: Differences, challenges and opportunities

Abstract The European Union (EU) has increasingly promoted “Responsible Innovation” (RI) policies in order to better harmonize technological progress with societal interest. RI has also triggered the attention of China, where it is included in the 13th Five-Year National Science and Technology Innovation Program (2016). However, each actor approaches RI in a different way. These differences could arguably be explained by three contextual factors: core values, goals of innovation and institutionalization logic. Taking into account the complex and global character of innovation-related challenges such as climate change, socio-cultural heterogeneity needs to be given serious consideration in order to achieve more effective RI dynamics in terms of anticipation, constituting common visions and goals and developing more coordinated international governance.